Sild Road Theatre Project's Al Kasida Staged Reading Series presents China Doll by Elizabeth Wong, directed by Jay Paul Skelton, and featuring Ambra Anie, Derek Czaplewski, James Foster, Steven Gilpin, Vanessa Greenway, Cheryl Hamada, Doug MacKechnie, Marc Rita, and Lisa Tejero.
The staged reading Sunday, Aug. 14 at 12:30 p.m. will be followed by a Q & A session with playwright Elizabeth Wong, at The Chicago Temple, First United Methodist Church, 77 W. Washington, free and open to the public.
Dragon Lady. Lotus Blossom. The woman who died a thousand deaths. China Doll is the story of a Chinatown girl who dreams about making it big in Hollywood. An award-winning play, this sensual fantasia takes inspiration from the remarkable life of Anna May Wong, America's first and brightest Chinese-American movie star. Her loves. Her struggles. Her humiliations. Her triumphs. From humble beginnings, to the rigors of training in the studio system of LB Mayer and Samuel Goldwyn, to the heights of success in such classic films as Shanghai Express with Marlene Dietrich.
This is a loving and unflinching homage to a woman ahead of her time.
For further information, visit Silk Road Theatre Project's Web site at www.srtp.org or call ( 312 ) 236-6881.